


Love Comes from the Heart

by RedGold



Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Lorynn, Soul Mate AU, a philosophical twist, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:01:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25227970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedGold/pseuds/RedGold
Summary: Garcia Flynn has a Soul Mate. But will that change the way he feels?
Relationships: Garcia Flynn/Lorena Flynn
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	Love Comes from the Heart

**Love Comes From The Heart**

_”Would it change the way you feel right now?”_

Soul Marks are distinctive, that was the point. Only one other person in the world will have the same size, shape, wrist location, and color as yours. So in a way, they are like tattoos. And distinguishing marks in visible areas are not particularly welcome in the armed forces. The marks could be used to identify you in surveillance, or even used against you if someone was enterprisingly evil enough to put in the work.

And it wasn’t just the military, a whole fashion industry had developed around the use of wrist cuffs, wraps, and bands to cover your mark if that’s what you wanted. Pretty much everyone owned a pair, or two, regardless of how often they wore them. The ultra-rich might have diamond studded leather wraps. The military settled for a basic but durable black fabric that was water resistant yet breathable.

Lorena was wearing one on both wrists when he met her, hiding which arm her mark was on. Flynn didn’t make a habit of invading people’s privacy in general, especially as he tended to always wear his wraps too, so he paid it no mind.

Then one day he realized he really loved the sound of Lorena’s laugh. That mischievous glint in her eye when she got daring was mesmerizing. They could talk for hours or sit in comfortable silence. And he wanted to kiss her so badly it hurt.

She kissed him first after a horribly botched attempt at flirting on his part.

That led to dates which led to more kissing until he found himself pressing her up against the wall of her quarters, a moan dripping from her lips. They moved to the bed as they shed their clothes. They stopped long enough to have the condom discussion and ensure they had them at hand.

But the Soul Mark was never mentioned. Lorena made no move to remove her wrist wraps. Flynn found he didn’t particular care at that moment if their marks matched. Every other inch of his body burned to touch Lorena, to become one with her.

It almost felt like they would never get enough of each other. There was wild abandonment in exploration of each other’s bodies. And sometimes they just laid together, snuggled closely, as if maybe that was enough. But he never saw her mark, never asked her to let him see, and he was perfectly okay with that.

Until the day he wasn’t.

“Lorena,” he said softly as she snuggled up to him in nothing but a tank top, boy shorts, and her wraps.

“Yes,” she mumbled against his bare chest as he wore his boxers and wraps.

“I need to make a decision, if I’m going to re-enlist in three months,” he told her, sitting up gently to lean against the headrest.

Lorena moved as well, sitting crossed leg beside him, facing him. “Five months for me.”

“But you’ve already decided you’re not going to,” he pointed out the fact without judgement.

“I’ve been talking to some people in the Army Corps,” she replied with a shrug to cover the budding anxiety he could see in her. “It’ll be a well-paying job, doing something I enjoy, and sixty percent less sexual harassment… hopefully.” She slid her hand in his. “I don’t want to leave you, but I have to do what’s best for me.”

Being a female of rank in the military was rife with problems that he wished he could fix. He could fight small battles, but had no idea how to take on this war of rampant sexism. “I think it’s the right decision for you. You’ll be much happier away from here.”

“But I will miss you, so much,” she whispered as if she was afraid of feeling those emotions. “I know it’s a big ask, a commitment, but I… I really like the idea of… of you and me in a nice house… together.”

“Are… are you asking me to marry you?” he said as he tried to understand his feelings.

“I’m just saying it’s on the table,” she explained, giving him a subdued smile. “You don’t have to make any decisions right now. I just wanted you to be able to make an informed one.”

“Yeah,” he said lowly, thinking, licking his lips. “There is _one_ piece of information that I’m lacking though.”

His words didn’t come out as tactful as he would have liked. He glanced at her wrists and she almost pulled back, but didn’t. Not once had he asked or even hinted at wanting to see. Even now he found it hard to voice the question.

Lorena took a moment, not looking at him, or anything, before saying. “You know this whole Soul Mates thing is completely misunderstood, right?”

Flynn tilted his head. He hadn’t really paid a lot of attention to the philosophical debates around the Soul Marks since they started showing up in the 40s.

“The soul is important,” Lorena began to explain. “It’s our moral center and our connection to god, but loving someone, that comes from the heart.”

“I… I never thought of distinguishing the two,” he admitted.

“Most people don’t.” Lorena shrugged, a resigned little gesture. “Your Soul Mate is the other half of your soul. They should be embraced because they are a part of you, and you of them. But that doesn’t mean they _have_ to be your romantic partner. You know that statistically, Soul Mate marriages are just as likely to fail as a Traditional one?”

“No… I didn’t.”

“People get it into their head that their Soul Mate must be their one true love.” Lorena shook her head, there was clearly a story there that she hadn’t shared yet. “They spend their lives miserable and alone, looking for their Soul Mate, like they’re the only thing that can make them happy. Or if they do find their Soul Mate, they have a connection, a bond, but their heart wants what the heart wants, and it’s not each other. But they force themselves to be romantic, get married and have kids, and they both end up miserable for it.

“And I’m not saying Soul Mates can’t also truly fall in love,” she added quickly. “They simply have to work at it like the rest of us. Let their hearts take that step instead of ignoring it’s warnings.”

There was a long stretch of silence as Flynn considered her words. He’d seen plenty of Traditional Couples live long, loving lives together. He hadn’t considered how they could love someone who wasn’t their Soul Mate. It was right in front of him and he never really thought about it. But then, he had never been this deeply in love with anyone before either. 

“So what I’m saying.” Lorena took a deep breath. “If you were to meet your Soul Mate tomorrow, would that change the way you feel right now?”

Would it? Could he simply shut down on all these feelings he has for Lorena because someone shared his soul? Someone he had never met?

“If I met mine,” Lorena continued, “sure, I’d like to get to know them. I’m sure they’d make a good friend. But it won’t change the fact that you’re the one I want to spend the rest of my life with.”

Was Lorena the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with?

“Anyway, you don’t have to make a decision now,” Lorena told him. “But if I’m not your Soul Mate, and meeting them and being with them is more important to you than what we have, if it would change the way you feel, I won’t judge you. We have to do what’s right for ourselves, and each other. And we can only do that if we’re honest.”

So many thoughts ran through his head, a mess of information and what if’s. He had to go with his gut. With what felt right.

“I love you, Lorena,” he said for the millionth time and it still sat like honey on his lips. “And… and I don’t care if you’re not my Soul Mate. As you said, love comes from the heart, and my heart wants you.”

Flynn leaned forward and kissed her, softly and lovingly, pulling her into his arms to hold her. They held each other for a long time, each one warring with the questions that invaded their minds. 

Should they ask to see their Soul Marks? Would that be doubting their love? Or confirming it? Do they not trust the other person? Or do they utterly and completely? They would see them at some point. When was the best time?

Lorena twisted slightly in his arms so they were both against the headrest. She lifted her left arm and began to tug at the fabric. Before it was even halfway off, he knew it wouldn’t match, because his was on his right. She revealed the scraggly fjords-looking lines that almost created a diamond. It was filled in with the most vibrant royal blue had ever seen. It was beautiful.

It was a bit more difficult for him, since he refused to let Lorena go, but he managed. He pulled off the wrap from his right arm to reveal his Mark. He thought it resembled a book, but it was like looking at clouds and perhaps seeing what you wanted to see. The deep burgundy color was captivating.

They weren’t Soul Mates, but that was okay, it didn’t change the way he felt about her. About how the idea of getting married, having kids, and living a long life with each other was everything he wanted and more than he deserved.

If he ever did meet his Soul Mate, he might lose Lorena as his best friend, but she would always have his heart.


End file.
